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Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Emerging issues in occupational health and safety? Date: Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 4:43:04 PM Author: "Stuart, Ralph" <Ralph.Stuart**At_Symbol_Here**KEENE.EDU>

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Ralph,

A brief comment on one of your topics on emerging issues in
occupational health and safety: " The connection between safety culture and
workplace power relationships".

Since I am a project based temporary safety manager I have a list of
questions I pose to hiring managers when I am interviewed for a project.
Near the top of that list is - Where do I park?

As a construction Project/Site Safety Manager (large and small
projects) for the past 15 years, my own casual observation has revealed a
correlation between the location of Site Safety Manager's parking space and
the de facto determination (by employees) of just where that safety manager
is in project pecking order.

If you are parking on site with rest of the site management then the
craft personnel are more likely to respect you as management. However, If
you are assigned parking in the craft parking lot (typically outside the
gate) then good luck garnering the respect of those craft employees - it
will be an uphill battle.

This parking location example is one of many negative safety culture
signals often sent to the craft employees that safety is not really near the
top of the employer priority list.

Construction craft employees are quite sophisticated and observant.
They can spot negative safety culture signals quickly. All the posters,
signs, speeches, procedures and slogans are meaningless if the company is
insincere.

Jim Keating

-----Original Message-----
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety On
Behalf Of Stuart, Ralph
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2020 4:43 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Emerging issues in occupational health and safety?

I am teaching a class this semester for undergrad safety majors with the
title "Safety and Health Standards".

I have interpreted this title broadly to include all of the environmental
factors that help an organization prioritize its EHS program relative to
other opportunities the organization is interested in pursuing.
Unfortunately, due to the change in venue from classroom to electronic
meetings, I am not able to offer the field trips I had hoped to in the
second half of April. It occurs to me that one topic that I could substitute
for the field trips is "emerging issues in occupational health and safety".

Topics that come to mind under this heading include:

- Firefighter exposure to emerging chemical concerns, both in fire settings
and fire fighting foams

- The connection between safety culture and workplace power relationships

- Connecting the EHS program to the organization's mission

- Emerging training media, both for safety professionals to continue their
education and to provide training to workers

- Responding to performance based standards (e.g. ISO standards, VPP, etc.)

- The emergence of the intersection of biological and chemical safety issues
in the public sphere and the impact of the differences between these two
paradigms on public policy

It occurred to me the DCHAS members may be able to help identify trends that
I have overlooked. I am interested in emerging topics will impact of careers
of safety professionals over the next 15 to 20 years. So, I'd appreciate any
suggestions of other topics that I could include in this catalog, and even
better, references where someone interesting in more information about this
topic this suggestion could go to find out more.

Thanks in advance for any help with this.

- Ralph

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Environmental Safety Manager
Keene State College
603 358-2859

ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu

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